Prebuilt PCs

[AKIron]

Brother recently upgraded to an RTX 4090 to drive his new Pimax crystal. He considered going from a Ryzen 7 5800X3D to a Ryzen 7 7800X3D. The latter would require a new MB and not required but desired DDR5. We discussed and decided to stay with the 5800X3D. Found there really was no need to change that. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D is not a bottle neck for a 4090 so certainly won't be for a slower GPU.

[AKIron]

I'm running a Ryzen 7 5800X3D also with an RTX 3070 and there's really nothing I can't run at the settings I want on a 2560 x 1440 monitor.

[Eagler]

Vr or no vr would change things too

Eagler

[Banshee7]

Vr or no vr would change things too

Eagler

I don't think I can do VR.  I've tried doing VR stuff, and it makes me super uncomfortable. I can't explain it lol

[RichardDarkwood]

What do y'all think about buying prebuilt PCs?  I'm in the market for an upgrade, and I have never built a PC before.  So the pros (for me) would be it's already assembled, AND I wouldn't have to drop the cash all at once.  I don't really have anyone close that I trust to help build a PC either, so all of my help would come from online.  Just picking your brains and seeking advice!

<S>

I bought a Dell and I love it.

[oboe]

I don't think I can do VR.  I've tried doing VR stuff, and it makes me super uncomfortable. I can't explain it lol

About that, coupla things can influence the nausea-type feeling you might get - one is to make sure the IPD adjustment of the headset matches your own IPD (distance in mm between your pupils), and second is maintain a high frame rate (refresh rate).  I get a weird queazy-like feeling if my frame rate drops below 75 fps or so.

[Oldman731]

I've been pleased with the two Cyberpowerpcs that I've owned.

- oldman

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

I have not bought a built PC in 30 years. In fact, the only "bought" PC I owned was a gift.

Just can't bring myself to buy one.

You can look at a few specific components, and then go to a component seller and use their "configurator" to "build virtually" to avoid conflicts.

I'd find a CPU level and GPU level I felt I needed, and go from there.

Oh, and if you're in or near middle Tennessee, I'll help you.

[Maverick]

The last 2 PC's I got I did not build. I started pricing components and found that I could just buy one prebuilt a little cheaper than building it. The last one was more than a little cheaper than building it. I am happy with the cyberpower unit I have been using for about 4 years now. No issues and it's also my first SSD boot drive unit. My only complaint is the boot drive would have been nicer if it were 500 gig to a terrabyte but there is also a secondary standard HD so I have plenty of storage / game space.

If you like building one, go for it. I have done so in the past but it is not something that really is important to me. I look at price as well as components rather than "pride of building". Not putting it down, it just isn't a major decision point in getting a new unit.

[AKIron]

If you're going to build yourself don't forget the cost of an OS. Retailers get discounts on the OS and their sale prices can be hard to beat.

Fry's used to offer a greatly discounted oem version of Windows with a purchased motherboard. No more Fry's.

[Bizman]

If you're going to build yourself don't forget the cost of an OS. Retailers get discounts on the OS and their sale prices can be hard to beat.

Although I'm not a great fan of <brand> PC's that's a good point.

<Brand> PC's often are utterly hyped and they may have a dozen variations of the theme. The worst "gaming PC" I've seen had a dedicated (overpriced) power supply that had only a few wires connected directly to the motherboard from where everything else was getting their power. Neatly built but impossible to upgrade. And it had a sister model with a regular PSU. If you build by yourself or let a builder company do the job you'll get a PC with easily swappable parts.

Also worth mentioning that using old Win7 keys stopped working starting November 2023.

[edge12674]

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16883360507?Item=N82E16883360507&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=promo&utm_campaign=EMC-Automation042924-USA-_-EMC-042924-Index-_-GamingDesktops-_-N82E16883360507-_-USA_PromoEmail_20240429_01&ignorebbr=1&cm_mmc=EMC-Automation042924-USA-_-EMC-042924-Index-_-GamingDesktops-_-N82E16883360507-_-USA_PromoEmail_20240429_01&ignorebbr=1&cvtc=21411982

Don't know anything about the builder but the price doesn't look bad for what you get..

Eagler

I bought an ABS pre-built in 2021.  I have been very happy with it and I have done some upgrades to it since.  This was the first pre-built I had bought since I started building my PC's back in the mid 90's.  I was impressed with the name brand components used and the cable routing was done very well.  Also minimum bloatware. 

I bought the ABS system, because I was due for a "major" upgrade replacing pretty much everything, but a case.  When I shopped for the best prices on the individual components and added it all up it was more expensive than the pre-built.

Another item to look at is the GPU you want.  When you look at a 4090 (or 5090 this year) combined with motherboard/CPU you might find the price and availability to be better with a pre-built.

Just something to think about.

[uptown]

What do y'all think about buying prebuilt PCs?  I'm in the market for an upgrade, and I have never built a PC before.  So the pros (for me) would be it's already assembled, AND I wouldn't have to drop the cash all at once.  I don't really have anyone close that I trust to help build a PC either, so all of my help would come from online.  Just picking your brains and seeking advice!

<S>

I bought an ABS gaming computer from NewEgg a couple of yrs ago for around 800 bucks. 6 months in the processor went bad. It was under warranty and repaired at no cost. Since then I haven't found a game yet I can't play on max settings. I'm happy with it.
If I ever build a computer again, it'll be liquid cooled ......just because I've never had one.

[Shuffler]

I bought an ABS gaming computer from NewEgg a couple of yrs ago for around 800 bucks. 6 months in the processor went bad. It was under warranty and repaired at no cost. Since then I haven't found a game yet I can't play on max settings. I'm happy with it.
If I ever build a computer again, it'll be liquid cooled ......just because I've never had one.

Interestingly, my ram cost more than that. 

[AKIron]

I bought an ABS gaming computer from NewEgg a couple of yrs ago for around 800 bucks. 6 months in the processor went bad. It was under warranty and repaired at no cost. Since then I haven't found a game yet I can't play on max settings. I'm happy with it.
If I ever build a computer again, it'll be liquid cooled ......just because I've never had one.

Two of my machines use liquid cooling for the CPU. I don't over clock so there's really no need. Just a bit quieter. They may stay a bit cooler but they'll become obsolete before the CPU dies.